everyone wears black – its such a cliche, but Melbourne really is such a grey place to be. yeah I know, all the fashionistas “play with texture”, and are probably scared to wear anything bright because they might look like a Queenslander. but seriously, it might brighten the place up a bit, you know?

negative vs. positive politeness – this post definitely has me thinking about what is considered polite and respectful in different cities. I think it might be an anglo-saxon (blame the jocks!) hand-me-down, where a reserved and removed demeanor is considered polite. ie. it is considered polite not to make small talk or engage in conversation, because you don’t want to intrude on anyone’s personal space, or god forbid look like a weirdo. the amount of anxious insecurity this introduces into daily interaction is a joke.

contrast this with cultures where it is considered polite, friendly and frankly normal to interact with your fellow human beings. it’s nice to be nice.

lack of vending machines – I actually miss vending machines. I never thought this before, but it’s amazing how many times you need something, and in Japan there will be a vending machine no more than a few hundred meters away to cater for your needs. seven elevens? not the same.

(tangent, check this guy’s blog out, he meticulously catalogs the life and times of a Hokkaido vending machine)

artists and football – all of a sudden, it seems all the artists are into footy. even the ones who weren’t into footy. when did this happen? why is blue collar credibility necessary?

this is such a cool and simple way to visually represent music. I wonder if the colours represent frequency too, for all those with Synesthesia out there? would love to see some Neu or something like that put through this machine.